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19 April 2002 - Afternoon Update - TOUCHDOWN! - Atlantis
has landed
at Kennedy
Space Center, completing her 4.5-million-
mile journey! The astros have come home from a
successful mission
to add a giant girder to the International Space Station, which will allow
for future expansion of the orbital
outpost. NASA reports:
Atlantis Makes Perfect Landing
From
a clear Florida sky, Commander Mike Bloomfield and Pilot Steve Frick
brought Atlantis safely to Earth today, landing at 12:26 p.m. EDT [11:26PM
CDT/1626 GMT] at the
Kennedy Space Center. While docked to the International Space Station,
Bloomfield, Frick, and Mission Specialists Ellen Ochoa, Rex Walheim, Lee
Morin, Jerry Ross and Steve Smith installed the S-Zero truss to the
station, setting the stage for future station expansion and research.
Four
space walks were required for the installation. Atlantis traveled over 4
million miles during this mission, STS-110, which lasted almost 11 days.
The members of the Expedition Four crew aboard the station, Commander Yury
Onufrienko and Flight Engineers Carl Walz and Dan Bursch, are now focused
on the arrival of its next set of visitors -- the Soyuz 4 Taxi Flight Crew
-- on April 27.
Check out the Ask the STS-110 Crew Answers
and Ask the MCC Answers.
Watch NASA
TV to see continuing coverage of STS-110's postflight activities.
NASA TV Schedule
The crew is expected to return to Texas on Saturday.
Landing videos are up at KSC
and The Houston
Chronicle. Latest pics
from KSC.
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19 April - Morning Update - DE-ORBIT BURN - Atlantis
has fired
braking rockets to drop out of orbit, to take the first
landing opportunity at KSC. NASA reports:
STS-110 Heads to Florida
Commander
Michael Bloomfield fired Space Shuttle Atlantis' engines to begin the last
leg of STS-110's mission. The de-orbit burn was performed at 10:19 a.m.
CDT [11:29AM EDT/1519 GMT] and puts Atlantis on track for an 11:27 a.m.
CDT [12:27PM EDT/1627 GMT] landing at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
The STS-110 astronauts are returning home after a successful
mission to the International Space Station. While at the station, the
STS-110 crew installed the S0 [truss] and performed four spacewalks. The S0 is the
centerpiece of the station's external framework, and its installation sets
the stage for future station expansion and research. They also prepared
the first railroad in space, the Mobile Transporter, for use.
Flight
Day 11 highlights are up at The Houston
Chronicle.
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19 April 2002 - Landing Day - Flight Day 12 will be a
short one, with Atlantis scheduled to
return to
where she was launched
today.
NASA reports:
Landing
Day Arrives for STS-110
The STS-110 crew is scheduled to wrap up a successful mission to deliver
the S0 (S-Zero) Truss to the International Space Station when Space
Shuttle Atlantis lands at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
The first of two landing opportunities for Atlantis today
is at 11:26 a.m. CDT [12:26PM EDT/1626 GMT], with the de-orbit burn
occurring at 10:20 a.m. CDT [11:20AM EDT/1520 GMT]. If the second
opportunity is needed, the de-orbit burn would occur at 11:59 a.m. CDT
[12:59PM EDT/1659 GMT] and landing at 1:03 p.m. CDT [2:03PM EDT/1803 GMT].
Weather forecasts call for favorable conditions.
While at the station, the STS-110 crew installed the S0 and performed
four spacewalks. The S0 is the centerpiece of the station's external framework,
and its installation sets the stage for future station expansion and research.
Weather is looking
so good at the Florida landing site, that the
backup
site in California will not be activated today. Watch NASA TV for
live
video coverage, and check the play-by-play links at top
right for up-to-the-minute mission status.
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18 April 2002 - Evening Update - The seven astronauts of
Atlantis have wrapped up their
final full day in orbit. The ship is
buttoned
up and ready for tomorrow's
homecoming.
NASA reports:
Crew
Prepares for Landing
Atlantis’ astronauts tested out their ship’s systems today and packed
their gear, aiming for an early afternoon landing at Kennedy Space Center,
Fla., Friday to wrap up a 7.2-million-kilometer (4.5-million-mile) mission
to deliver the S0 (S-Zero) Truss to the International Space Station.
Commander Mike Bloomfield, Pilot Steve Frick and Flight Engineer
Ellen Ochoa activated one of three hydraulic power units on Atlantis and
tested all of the shuttle’s aerosurfaces to ensure that Atlantis will
have full controllability during its high-speed return to Earth Friday.
Bloomfield and Frick then test-fired Atlantis’ steering jets, which were
declared ready to support entry and landing. Bloomfield, Frick and Ochoa
joined crewmates Rex Walheim, Lee Morin, Jerry Ross and Steve Smith to
stow all of the equipment they have used over the past 10 days and parked
the shuttle’s KU-band dish antenna in preparation for the closing of
Atlantis’ cargo bay doors early Friday morning.
The crew of Atlantis was scheduled to begin a scheduled
eight-hour sleep period at 6:14 p.m. [7:14PM EDT/2314 GMT] today, and will be awakened just
after 2 a.m. [3AM EDT/0700 GMT] Friday to prepare for entry and landing.
All shuttle and ISS systems are operating normally.
Watch NASA
TV on Friday to see coverage of STS-110's return home. Space Shuttle
Atlantis and its seven-member crew are slated to land at 11:26 a.m. CDT
[12:26PM EDT/1626 GMT] at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
NASA TV Schedule
Here are the Ground
Tracks for the first
and second
landing opportunities tomorrow. If the first (for some reason) did not look
good, the second attempt would come at 2:02PM EDT (1802
GMT). Flight
Day 10 videos and images are
now available in the
NASA Gallery.
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18 April 2002 - Flight Day
11 is underway, with Atlantis
heading for a touchdown
at KSC tomorrow.
NASA reports:
Atlantis' Astronauts
Prepare for Landing
On board Atlantis today, the crew turns its attention to Friday's
scheduled landing at the Kennedy Space Center. The crew awoke at 2:44 a.m. central
time [3:44AM EDT/0744 GMT] today and will spend the day stowing away gear and hardware,
and testing Atlantis' reaction control system jets and flight control surfaces.
Preliminary weather forecasts for a Friday landing at the
Kennedy Space Center look favorable. Atlantis is scheduled to touchdown at
11:26 a.m. central time [12:26PM EDT/1626 GMT] tomorrow.
The STS-110
Landing Ground Tracks are available.
Landing is scheduled for
Friday at
12:36PM EDT (1636 GMT). Flight
Day 9 videos and images
are now available in the
NASA Gallery.
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17 April 2002 - Evening Update - Flight Day 10 is complete. The
STS-110 astronauts have said their goodbyes to the Expedition
4 crew, Atlantis has undocked, and final separation burns have put the
orbiter on a course for
home.
NASA reports:
Atlantis
Undocks from Station, Begins Trip Home
Space
Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station at 1:31
p.m. CDT [2:31PM EDT/1831 GMT] today, ending STS-110's successful stay and beginning
the trip home.
While
at the station, the crew conducted four spacewalks to install and outfit
the S0 (S-Zero) Truss and to prepare the station for future spacewalks.
STS-110 also delivered science experiments and additional supplies.
After undocking, Pilot Steve Frick flew 1¼ laps around the Station, and
then fired maneuvering jets to make the final separation.
Flight
Day 8 images are up in the NASA Gallery.
Flight Day 9 Highlights are available at The Houston
Chronicle.
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17 April 2002 - Undocking Day - With all four spacewalks
in the books, Flight Day 10 will see Atlantis
separate from the
International Space Station, in preparation for Friday's landing. The crews
are in the final hours of their joint operations this morning.
NASA reports:
Atlantis
to Undock from Station
The
STS-110 crew will wrap up a successful weeklong stay at the International
Space Station when Space Shuttle Atlantis undocks from the orbital outpost
at 1:31 p.m. CDT [2:31PM EDT/1831 GMT] today.
The STS-110 and Expedition Four crews will bid farewell to
each other before the hatches between Atlantis and the station are
closed about 10:29 a.m. CDT [11:29AM EDT/1529 GMT].
After Atlantis undocks, Pilot Steve Frick will perform a flyaround of
the station. Steering jets will fire a final separation burn to begin
Atlantis' departure from the station about 3:15 p.m. [4:15PM EDT/2015
GMT] today.
Watch NASA
TV today to see the departure of Space Shuttle Atlantis and the
STS-110 crew from the International Space Station. The final farewell
between the STS-110 and Expedition Four crews and hatch closure is
slated to occur at 10:30 a.m. CDT [11:30AM EDT/1530 GMT]. Atlantis is
scheduled to undock at 1:31 p.m. CDT [2:31PM EDT/1831 GMT].
NASA TV Schedule
Landing is scheduled for this Friday at
12:36PM EDT (1636 GMT). Watch NASA TV for live
video coverage, and check the play-by-play links at top
right for up-to-the-minute mission status.
For reports covering the last two EVAs, see Part 3
of the STS-110 Mission Journal.
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